India: Anger over alleged sexual assault on woman at police station

A retired judge of India's Supreme Court will investigate allegations that a woman was physically and sexually assaulted by a group of police officers at a police station in the eastern Indian state of Odisha, authorities said.

After allegations made by the 32-year-old woman and her fiancé – an army officer – sparked a huge outcry last week, four police officers, including three women, were suspended and a fifth police officer was transferred. The move came after the state's Criminal Investigation Department launched an investigation into the case.

Warning: This report contains details that some may find disturbing.

A video of the woman, a law graduate who runs a restaurant in the state capital Bhubaneswar, describing her alleged ill-treatment by police in the early morning of September 15, has been shared widely on social media.

The footage is difficult to watch.

In a wheelchair, with a collar and one arm in a sling, the woman repeatedly breaks down in tears as she tells journalists what happened to her.

She said she went to the Bharatpur police station with her fiancé after closing her restaurant around 1:00 am because they were being harassed by a group of men on the street.

They asked the police to immediately send a patrol car to intercept the men, who may not have gotten far, she said.

“The police refused to take our report and instead verbally abused us. When I told them that I had studied law and knew my rights, they became even angrier.”

The situation escalated after police put her fiancé in jail, she claimed.

“When I protested, two female officers started pulling my hair and hitting me. I kept begging them to stop. But they dragged me down the corridor and one of them tried to strangle me. When I resisted, they tied my hands and legs and locked me in a room,” she said, sobbing.

“A male officer came in, took off my bra and started kicking my breasts. At around 6 a.m., the officer on duty at the police station came into the room. He pulled down my pants. He then pulled down his pants and repeatedly threatened to rape me if I did not stop screaming for help,” she said.

Indian media reports last week said the army officer and his fiancée arrived at the station drunk and that the woman was aggressive, claiming she slapped a female police officer and bit another policeman.

She was arrested and taken into custody by a judge.

But three days after the alleged attack, the Supreme Court released the woman on bail and criticized the police and the lower court that had detained her.

“On close scrutiny of the record, it appears that the allegations are of a very serious nature… They are anathema to the concept of a democratic and orderly society,” said Judge Aditya Kumar Mohapatra, adding that “the police did not follow the procedure prescribed by law while arresting them.”

“Drastic action has been taken against the erring police officers… and appropriate action will be taken against the guilty,” the judge said in the order.

The judge also “failed to use his judicial judgment” when he denied the woman bail, Justice Mohapatra added.

Since then, many Indians have taken to social media to express their anger over the alleged police brutality. Numerous former and serving army personnel have shared the woman's viral video and expressed support for her fight, as her father is a retired Brigadier General.

The Indian Army also wrote a letter to the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court in the state of Odisha, saying that a “serving officer was detained without charge for nearly 14 hours” and that “the serious incident… has tarnished his reputation.”

“The modesty and dignity of his fiancée, who also happens to be the daughter of a retired Brigadier General, was severely violated by the police authorities,” the letter continues.

Her father, who told the BBC he spent hours desperately trying to find his daughter that night, said police had not informed him or his family of the allegations against his daughter.

“Some army officers told me that my daughter had been arrested and put in prison. I was not allowed to meet her until the next afternoon,” he said. “I hope we get justice.”

The state government said it “respects the Indian Army” and is “concerned about the dignity, safety and rights of women.” It has appointed retired judge Chitta Ranjan Dash to initiate an inquiry and submit a report within 60 days.

The woman's allegations are being investigated and her statement has been recorded, Detective Inspector Narendra Behera told the media. The seven men accused of harassing the couple were arrested by the police and released on bail.

On social media, some commented on the woman's clothing, while others “questioned the character of a woman who argues with men and drinks alcohol.”

Namrata Chadha, a lawyer and women's rights activist who met the woman in hospital, told the BBC it was “heartbreaking to see this kind of victim shaming”.

“She has a shoulder injury, a cut on her face and swelling around her eye. She is severely traumatized. While she was talking to me, tears came to her eyes several times. I told her, 'You have to be brave and face everything.' She said she would fight to the end.”

Ms Chadha says the police have to follow standard procedure when a woman files a complaint.

“It is their duty to listen to her patiently. They are trained to deal with a woman when she is aggressive or agitated. They must offer her a glass of water and calm her down. But from their statements, it seems that basic rules were not followed.

“And how come there was no CCTV when the Supreme Court of India mandates it for every police station?” she asks. The police station in question was opened just four months ago and is intended to serve as a model for other stations in the area.

Ms Chadha says the case has attracted a lot of attention because the woman comes from a privileged background.

“But nobody knows what goes on in this – and other – police stations when ordinary women go there to seek help.

“We tell our daughters that if they are in trouble, they should go to the nearest police station. We tell them that is the second safest place – after their home. What do we tell them now? Where should a woman go now?”

Additional reporting by Surbat Kumar Pati in Bhubaneswar

If you have been a victim of sexual assault and are in the UK You can contact the BBC Action Line here